Campaigners demand world leaders agree fast, fair and funded climate action at COP29

Climate campaigners today called on World leaders to commit to a fast, fair and funded phase-out of all fossil fuels when they gather in Baku, Azerbaijan, from tomorrow for the COP29 global climate conference. 

Speaking at a photo shoot depicting Lady Justice – a world-renowned symbol of justice, fairness and equality – holding a weighing-scales and dripping in oil in the centre of Dublin, members of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition said with climate breakdown hitting the poorest hardest, global leaders must step up action to break the grip of the fossil fuel industry on our futures. 

The spectacular photo shoot, which attracted attention from curious early morning strollers through Dublin city centre, was aimed at reflecting the global injustice around the impacts of climate change and the resources to tackle it. It took place in advance of COP29, which provides a critical opportunity for world leaders to rein in the deadly activities of the fossil fuel industry.  

At last year’s COP the power of the fossil fuel industry came under the spotlight when video of Mary Robinson calling out the oil sheikh running the conference went viral. This year’s COP summit takes place between November 11th and November 22nd, and as well as world leaders between 40,000 and 50,000 delegates are expected to attend from all over the world. 

Sorcha Tunney, Head of Campaigns with Friends of the Earth Ireland, said:  

"Today, as Lady Justice stands with her scales dripping in oil, we call on all world leaders departing for COP29 to commit to a fast, fair and funded phaseout of all fossil fuels. The stakes are high, with climate disaster intensifying all around us.  

We must demand climate justice from our elected representatives, so that the needs of the people and the planet outweigh the vested interests of big polluters. They must reject the false solutions of 'transition fuels' and unproven carbon capture technologies, which only delay meaningful action.” 

Speaking from COP29 in Baku, Ross Fitzpatrick, Christian Aid Ireland’s Policy & Advocacy Officer, said: 

“This is a timely reminder of the stark injustice that lies at the heart of the climate crisis. The world’s poorest countries, who have done least to cause the crisis but bear the brunt of its worst effects, continue to lack the funds desperately needed to adapt and respond when climate disasters strike.  

This year’s COP is a vital opportunity to finally right this wrong by agreeing a new and ambitious global climate finance goal that responds to the needs of developing countries. It’s crucial that wealthier, high emitting countries, including Ireland, take the lead in providing the bulk of this new funding in line with their historic responsibility for causing the climate crisis." 

Siobhán Curran, Head of Policy & Advocacy, Trócaire said: 

“As the climate crisis escalates, it is the most marginalised communities that continue to suffer and pick up the pieces of climate carnage, with countries across Southern Africa declaring states of disaster due to drought.  

At this COP, richer countries should step up to their responsibility to provide finance that genuinely meets the needs of climate vulnerable countries, through an ambitious agreement on the new climate finance goal. After years of broken promises on climate finance, this injustice needs to be addressed to allow for a truly just transition.” 

Collette McEntee, Programme Coordinator for Feminist Communities for Climate Justice, a joint project between National Women’s Council and Community Work Ireland, said: 

“The extraction and burning of fossil fuels harm both people and planet, with women and marginalised communities disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and the volatility of fossil fuel energy prices.  

COP29 should be a pivotal moment for committing to a fair, fast transition away from fossil fuels with a strong focus on gender equality and actions that ensure women have equal access to resources, equal participation in climate decision-making, and that their specific needs are central in climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.”